Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-07-13

basket let down from window on the wal
What you do, do we'll. If you make rope
make it strong and true, for you know moi
how much may depend on your workman
ship. If you fashion boat, let it be water.
proof, for you know not who may sail in It,
If you put Bible in the trunk of your boy
as he goes from home, let it be heard IN
your prayers, for it may have mission as
far-reaching as the book which the sailor
carried in his teeth to the Pitcairn beach,
The plainest mans life is an island between
two eternities eternity past ripping
against his shoulders, eternity to come
touching his brow. The casual. the acci-
dental, that which merely happened so, are
parts of a great plan, and the rope that lets
the fugitive apostle from the Damascus
wall is the cable that holds to its mooring
the ship of the Church in the northeast
storm of the centuries.
Again, notice unrecognised and unrecord-
ed services. Who spun that rope? Who
tied it to the basket? Who steadied the IL
lustrious preacher as he stepped into it?
Who relaxed not muscle of the arm or
dismissed an anxious look from his face un-
til the basket touched the ground and dis
charged its magnificent cargo? Not one of
their names has come to us, but there was
no work done that day in Damascus or in
all the earth compared with the Importance
of their work! What if they had in the
agitation tied knot that could not slip?
What if the sound of the mob at the door
had led them to say: "Paul must take care
Of himself, and we will take care Of our
selves" No, no! They held the rope, and
in doing so did more for the Christian
Church than any thousands of us will ever
accomplish. But God knows and has made
eternal record of their undertaking. And
they know. How exultant they must have
felt when they read his letters to the Ro-
mans, to the Corinthians, to the Galatians,
to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the
Collossians, to. the Thessalonians, to Timo-
thy, to Titus to Philemon, to the Hebrews,
and when they heard how he walked out of
prison with the earthquake unlocking the
door for him, and took command OF the
| Alexandrian cOrn-ship when the sailors were
nearly scared to death, and preached SER
mon that nearly shook Felix off his judg-
ment seat. hear the men and women who
helped him down through the window and
over the wall taking in private over the
matter, and saying: GLOW glad am that
we effected that rescue! In coming times
others may get the glory of PauPs work,
but no one shall rob us Of the satisfaction
of knowing that we held the rope"
| Once for thirty-six hours we expected ev-
cry moment to 60 to the bottom OF the
ocean. The waves struck through the sky
| lights and rushed down into the hold OF the
ship and hissed against the boilers. 1t was
an awful time; but by the blessing of God
and the faithfulness of the men in charge
1 g %l,< oJopn Nd n
at home. Each one before leaving the ship
thanked Capt. Andrews. I do not think
there was man or woman that went off
that ship without thanking Capt. Andrews,
and when years after I heard of his death
was impelled to write letter of coincidence
| to his family in Liverpool. Everybody
recognised the goodness, the courage, the
kindness of Capt. Andrews; but it occurs
| to me now that we never thanked the engin-
eer. He stood away down in the darkness
amid the kissing furnaces doing his whole
duty. Nobody thanked the engineer, but
God recognized his heroism and his contin-
uance and his fidelity, and there will be just
as high reware for the engineer who work
ed out ofsight as for the captain who stood
| on the bridge of the ship in the midst of
the bowling tempest.
There are said to be about sixty mine
Thousand ministers Of religion in this coun-
try. About fifty thousand l warrant came
from early homes which had to struggle for
the necessaries of life The sons of rich
bankers and merchants generally become
bankers and merchants The most of those
who become ministers are the sons of those
who had terrific struggle to get their every
day bread The collegiate and theological
education of that son took every luxury
from the parental table for eight years.
The other children were more scantily ap-
parelled. The son at college every little
while got bundle from home. In it were
the socks that mother had knit, sitting up
late at night, her sight not as good as once
it was. And there, also, were some delica-
cies from the sisters hand for the voracious
appetite of hungry student. The father
swung the heavy cradle through the wheat,
the sweat rolling from his chin believing
every step Of the way, and then sitting
ing to himself: 81 am fearfully tired, but
it will pay if I can once see that boy
through college, and if can know that he
will be preaching the Gospel after | am
dead" The younger children want to
know why they can't have this and that, as
others do, and the mother says: "Be pa
tient, my children, until your brother grad
yates, and then you shall have more luxu-
ries, but we must see that boy through"
The years go by, and the son has been
ordained and is preaching the glorious
Gospel, and great revival comes, and souls
by scores and hundreds accept the Gospel
from the lips of that young preacher, and
father and mother, quite old now, are visit
ing the son at the village parsonage, and
at the close of Sabbath of mighty blessing
father and mother retire to their room, the
son lighting the way and asking them if he
can do anything to make them more COM
Portable, saying if they want anything in
the night just to knock on the wall. And
then, all alone, father and mother talk over
gracious influence of the day, and say:
"Well, it was worth all we went through
to educate that boy. 1t was hard pull,
but we held on till the work was done.
The world may not know it, but, mother,
we held the rope, didn't we?'' And the
voice, tremulous with joyful emotion, re-
spends: "Yes, father, we held the rope. l
| feel my work is done. Now, Lord, lettest
thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation" sPshawp says
the father, 81 never felt so much like living
in my life as now. | want to see what that
fellow is going on to 40, he has begun so
| WELL"
Something occurs to me quite personal;
1 was the youngest OF large family OF
children, My parents were neither rich nor
poor; four of the sons wanted collegiate ed
ucation, and four obtained it, but not with.
out great home struggle. We never heard
the old people say once that they were de-
nying themselves to OBJECT this, but l re-
member now that my parents always
looked tired. / don't think they ever go'
rested until they lay down in the Somerville
cemetery. Mother would sit down in the
evening and say: well, l don't know
what makes me feel so tiredn' Father
would fall Immediately to sleep, seated by
the evening stand, overcome with the days
fatigues. One of the four brothers, after
preaching the Gospel for about fifty years,
entered upon his heavenly rest. Another
of tile four is now on the other side the
n